The short story “The First Day,” written by Edward P. Jones, details the experience of a young African-American girl and her mother on their way to the first day of school. However, their first day does not go so smoothly. Throughout the course of the story, the girl and her mother encounter multiple challenges that show the difficulties of entering the educational system as a black person. One of the times this is show is when the two arrive at the first school the girl’s mother wants her to attend, but they are immediately question strictly based on how they look. A second time this was apparent is at the second school when we find out about the mother’s educational level. Over the course of the story many events transpired that show the deep flaws and challenges present in the educational system that affect black people.